Air handling units, such as air conditioners, create condensation during operation. For instance, typical air conditioning units include a compressor and an evaporator including evaporator coils. The expansion process in the evaporator cools the evaporator coils. Air is cooled by being passed over the evaporator coils.
As the air passes over the evaporator coils, water may condense on the coils and drip from the coils. A primary drip pan and drain are installed under the evaporator coils to collect and drain the condensate. As a precautionary matter, a secondary drain pan is often installed beneath the air handling unit to secure any excess drainage not caught by the primary drip pan and drain.
Typically, a secondary drain pan is made of plastic or metal and is rectangularly shaped. The drain pans being used currently have a base and a lip for holding the condensate. Bricks, cinder blocks, wood, or other structures are often placed in the drain pan for supporting the air handling unit above the base of the drain pan by the installer of the air handling unit. The supports or risers are often found at the work site and are not precise in dimension. Therefore, installers of air handling units waste time and effort locating support structures to place in the drain pan and positioning those structures to support adequately the air handling unit.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a secondary drain pan that includes an integrated riser for supporting the air handling unit.